


Intertidal

by grovestep



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Hurt/Comfort, Longing, Loss of Limbs, Love at First Sight, M/M, Mermaids, Mild Gore, Mutual Pining, Sharks, background McHanzo, merfolk, mermaid au, mermaid biology, shark attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:33:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21539068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grovestep/pseuds/grovestep
Summary: Genji and Jesse reel in a merperson who suffered from a shark bite. Genji finds himself enamored with everything about Zenyatta - the way he talks, smiles, and swims. The two have to overcome the area between land and sea.Written for the Genyatta BB 2019
Relationships: Genji Shimada/Tekhartha Zenyatta
Comments: 6
Kudos: 53
Collections: Genyatta Big Bang 2019





	Intertidal

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Genyatta Big Bang! I worked with two absolutely wonderful artists, Eimeh and Kameary! 
> 
> Eimeh: ShimizuAimee @ Twitter  
> Kameary: KamearyArt @ Twitter
> 
> Eimeh's Art: https://twitter.com/ShimizuAimee/status/1198373533031616512?s=20  
> Kameary's Art: https://twitter.com/Kamearyart/status/1198394255749926917?s=09

The waves crashed against the shore. The noise of the water drowned out all else, save for the raucous calls of gulls overhead. Genji sat on a chair in the surf, his feet submerged in the water. With each wave, both his feet and the metal legs of the beach chair were covered in sand. He felt himself slowly sinking, but didn’t move. If he sat here long enough, he could feel the tide rising. The waves would inch closer, coming up farther over his legs, touching the underside of his chair and wetting his swim trunks. When that happened, he’d move his chair back farther and resume his quiet meditation. 

The sound of the waves was calming. He liked to come out to the beach when he was feeling troubled. He’d been through this routine so many times he could track the hours to high tide from memory. He watched tiny fish come in with the waves. They darted in the thin water, eating from the wet sand before going back with the tide. Tiny mussels emerged from the sand every so often, pulled up by the current. They used their tongues to dig back into the ground, leaving only a small hole in their wake. He could predict the times when they would emerge all at once for a breath of air, as though in sync. 

Genji’s eyes shifted down the shoreline. A few yards away, Jesse stood waist-deep in the water. He held a fishing pole in one hand. The bobber was too far for Genji to see. Behind Jesse on the sand was a blue ice cooler, a set of spare poles, and heavy duty rubber gloves. Jesse was convinced he’d catch a shark. Genji humored his best friend, though he didn’t believe a shark could be caught this close to shore. He’d have to book a sea fishing trip to have a chance. Jesse turned and noticed Genji staring. He waved wildly and motioned Genji over.  
Genji pulled his beach chair back to where the ice cooler was and slogged out to where Jesse was standing.  
“What is it?” he asked. 

“I think I got somethin’,” Jesse said with a grin. He handed the pole off to Genji to feel. The shaft of the pole was bent downwards and the line was straining with the effort. He quickly handed it back off to Jesse.

“Reel it in!” he said.

“I’ve been tryin’!” Jesse said through gritted teeth and as tugged on the line with all his might. “I think it might be a shark!”

“Jesse, it’s not a shark,” Genji said. “It’s probably a stingray.”

“Uh-huh, and I ain’t smoked in my entire life,” Jesse said with a roll of his eyes. “It’s a shark an’ I’ll prove it, soon as I reel it in.”

The two fell into eager silence as Jesse heaved and hefted the line. He stepped back several feet before he was yanked back to where he was. His brow creased and muscles bulged with the effort. Genji went to the shore and grabbed the heavy duty gloves. He didn’t know what was at the other end of the line, but whatever it was...If it put up that much of a fight, it must be huge. 

“It better be a shark. I ain’t had no fish fight me this hard before,” Jesse said through heaving breaths. “Genji, mind helpin’ a bit? Grab me ‘round the waist and help me pull back.”

Genji wrapped his arms around Jesse’s midsection. He tried his best to dig his heels in the sand. The two stepped back in tandem, Genji acting as Jesse’s anchor, pulling him back to the shore when whatever was on the line tried to tug him out to sea. Inch by inch, the line reeled in, until both Jesse and Genji were on dry sand. They could see the shadow of something huge beneath the waves. Genji let go of Jesse’s waist and moved to stand beside them. Their mouths dropped open at what they were seeing.

The waves did the work of bringing in their catch. It skidded to a halt at their feet. It was as long as a person. The bottom half was that of a fish. The brown and white scales glimmered in the sunlight. The tailfin moved weakly. Genji noticed that Jesse’s baited hook had embedded itself in the flesh of the tail. On top, the creature was human, or as human as it could get. The human half began just at the navel. It had webbed hands and a fin that ran up the length of its back, but the face was uncannily, undeniably that of a human.

“Merperson,” Genji said under his breath.

The merperson stared at them with wide, glassy eyes. Jesse dropped the pole to the ground. The three stared at one another in tense silence, until the merperson’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and fainted. He flopped against the sand and Genji finally noticed the bite mark that marred the skin of his shoulder. It was bleeding, the red blood mixing with the tide to create a pink foam. Genji went to the merperson’s side. He brought his arm behind his shoulders and lifted him up into a sitting position. 

“Jesse! Help me!” he shouted, his voice a little too loud and a little too strained. 

“What the fuck are we gonna do?” Jesse asked as he ran his hands through his hair. “We killed it! We fuckin’ killed it! We killed a god damn merperson!” 

“Jesse calm down. He’s not dead yet. Grab them under the tail. We need to get him inside,” Genji said. His voice leveled out. He focused on the sound of the tide, thought of the time it took for high tide to roll in, for the mussels to resurface. It helped ground him long enough to think. 

Jesse pulled out a pocket knife and cut the line before wrapping his arms around the merperson’s tail. A tiny dribble of blood flowed out of the wound where the hook was embedded. 

“Aw shit, Hanzo’s gonna be so pissed that we got blood on his carpet,” Jesse said, his voice pitched high. 

“Is that really what you’re thinking of right now?” Genji asked. “We have a dying merperson in our arms right now and you’re worried about what Hanzo will think?”

“Can ya blame me?” Jesse asked with a sheepish smile. 

Genji rolled his eyes as they precariously scaled the stairs that led over the seawall and to the desk. The merperson’s breaths were coming in short, erratic gasps. He started to go pale. The blood flowed more freely and spattered onto the white carpet as they stepped through the sliding door. It would piss Hanzo off, but he’d have to suck it up. They were saving a life. 

“Bring him to the bathtub,” Genji said. They took a sharp turn into the living room. Jesse almost slipped on the blood on the floor. They maneuvered through the bathroom door and gently lowered the merperson into the large jacuzzi tub. 

“Alright, what now? Let him take a bubble bath?” Jesse asked. He scrubbed another hand on his face. “Make cannibal calimari?” 

“Jesse,” Genji hissed out through his teeth. “Shut up and go get the emergency kit Hanzo keeps under the kitchen sink.”

That sent Jesse scampering off. Genji turned his attention to the anomaly in his bathtub. He stifled the urge to laugh at the absurdity of it all. They had reeled in a merperson. A living, breathing merperson. Genji pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. He wouldn’t be living and breathing much longer if Genji didn’t do something. He straddled the edge of the tub and yanked the towel off the hook on the wall. He pressed the towel firmly onto the bite mark on the merperson’s shoulder to subdue the flow of blood. There was so much of it...Genji wondered if he would even make it if they managed to stop the bleeding. He didn’t think the local hospital knew how to do blood transfusions for a person who was half fish. 

Jesse came back into the bathroom with the kit in hand. He fumbled to open it and some of the supplies clattered to the floor. The Ace bandage roll unraveled and came to a stop by Genji’s foot. Jesse handed Genji a needle and thread with shaky hands. He averted his eyes away from the blood on Genji’s hand. 

“Do ya...need any more help?” Jesse asked. He shifted from foot to foot, like he was ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

Genji took a deep breath and evaluated the situation. He looked the merperson over. The needle and thread would cover the sutures. There was gauze in the kit. The Ace bandages would bind it. His eyes landed on the fish-like torso. Gills. The person had gills. They flexed weakly in the air, attempting to take in water. He looked back at Jesse with wide eyes. 

“Get salt water. Fast. Run like there’s a fire under your ass,” Genji said. 

Jesse almost ran into the door frame in his haste. Genji turned back to the task at hand once he heard Jesse thump past the sliding door onto the porch. He lifted the towel off the bite wound. The bleeding had slowed to a trickle. The skin around the wound was pale and clammy. Genji sucked in another deep breath as he threaded the needle and set to work sewing the wound shut. Just as he began, the merperson’s eyes shot open. Genji almost dropped the needle into the tub.

The merperson grabbed Genji by the wrist. His lips moved, but no words came out. He moved Genji’s hand to the gills on his torso. Genji nodded in understanding. 

“It’s coming. I’m sorry, it must be hard to breathe. I didn’t want to run the bathwater. I know what freshwater can do to saltwater fish,” Genji said in a rush. He didn’t know if the man even spoke his language. 

The merperson stared at Genji with piercing brown eyes. His grip on Genji’s wrist tightened before he let go. His hand fell limp back in the tub. After a moment he managed to lift it again. With shaking fingers he dipped his fingers in the blood around his gills and brought it up to the white porcelain of the tub. Genji watched as his shaky fingers scrawled a word. Genji leaned forward to read it, his brow creasing.

“Zen?” he asked and cocked his head to the side. He’d heard of zen meditation, but he didn’t know how that had any relevance to this situation. Spiritual healing wasn’t going to help the person in his bathtub. Not now, anyway. 

The merperson ran his hand across the word, then brought the hand back to rest on his chest. His lips quirked up in a small smile. Genji thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Your name is Zen?” he asked. Zen gave a small nod, his eyes lulling shut. “My name is Genji. I’m going to take care of you, Zen.”

Genji watched as Zen mouthed his name before he fell back into unconsciousness. Genji took Zen’s hand in his own. He tried not to marvel at the webbing that spread between each finger. He gave it a reassuring squeeze before he continued to sew the wound shut. He glanced up at the door just as Jesse burst through it with two buckets of saltwater.

“Hope I ain’t too late,” Jesse said through heaving breaths. “Oh God, he’s dead ain’t he?”

“Not yet, but he might be if you don’t stop gaping and start pouring,” Genji said. 

The two worked in tandem to fill the bathtub with saltwater. Zen’s gills spasmed in response, happy to be back in saltwater. Genji hefted a sigh of relief. Jesse hovered at the door and watched as Genji sat by the bathtub, staring intently at the fish man. Jesse smiled to himself and stepped out, closing the door behind him. 

—

Zen woke up two days later.

Genji hadn’t left his side unless he absolutely needed to. He changed the water in the tub and tended to the would like he was a nurse. He found himself staring at Zen’s bare chest and the curious marks around his collarbones. His eyes trailed down to where skin faded into scales. He wondered if it was indecent to do so, that if merfolk were considered always naked. His face flushed at the thought and he averted his eyes, just in case. But he couldn’t help the occasional small glance when he changed the water, or a light touch when he cleaned the wound.  
It was one of these instances when Zen’s eyes snapped open. Genji bent down to pull the plug in the tub. He let his hand brush by Zen’s tail. The smooth scales rubbed against his knuckles and made him smile. As he released the rubber stopper, knuckles still brushing the brown scales, Zen’s tail thrashed and sent up a small wave of saltwater into Genji’s face. Genji spluttered and sat back to wipe his face. When he cleared the irritating water from his eyes, Zen was sitting upright. The merperson stared him down with an intense gaze. At first, Genji thought he was angry. Zen’s gaze made him squirm, but he couldn’t look away. Zen’s brow softened and he smiled. Genji felt his heart leap in his chest at how well dazzling it was.

“You are the man who saved me?” Zen asked.

“Y-yes,” Genji stammered.

“Genji,” Zen said, testing the name on his tongue. He cocked his head to the side in thought. “There was another.”

“Jesse, yes,” Genji said. “He’s not around right now.”

Zen reached over the edge of the tub and took Genji’s hand in his own. A tingle shot down Genji’s arm and radiated throughout his body. He tried to banish the blush from his cheeks, but he couldn’t stop the light pink tinge. Genji noticed the rubbery webbing between Zen’s fingers, the soft touch of his skin. He held his breath as Zen squeezed his hand.

“Thank you, Genji,” Zen said. 

“Don’t thank me, Zen,” Genji said. “That is your name, right? Zen?” 

The merperson smiled. “Yes and no,” he said. “You wouldn’t be able to pronounce my real name with your human mouth. Zen is short for my shore walker name; Zenyatta.” 

Genji’s head reeled with all of the information just presented. He stared at the creature in his bathtub with fascination. He had so many questions, he wasn’t sure where to start, or if he should keep his mouth shut. His brow furrowed. Zenyatta cocked his head to the side as he observed the expression on the human’s face. 

“You look troubled,” Zen said. He shifted in the tub, propping himself up to see Genji better eye-to-eye. “What bothers you?”

“I uh…” Genji started, but stopped and took a deep breath. “I’ve never met one of…your kind before.” 

“We keep ourselves hidden away,” Zen said. He rested his elbows on the side of the tub and placed his chin in the palm of his hand. His shoulder was tender, but it was nothing like the unbearable pain he’d experienced when he suffered the bite. “Do you plan to tell of my existence?” 

Genji didn’t hesitate. He shook his head vehemently. “Never. Why would I do that?” he asked. 

“For money, perhaps,” Zenyatta said. He lifted his tail out of the water then placed it back down. “I’ve heard stories of merfolk fetching a fair price. We are told humans’ greed is endless.” 

“Do you believe that?” Genji asked. 

Zen raised his eyebrows. He’d never met a human before, but merfolk were taught from the moment they could read that humans were selfish, terrible creatures. They polluted the oceans and killed the fish, whales, and sharks. They would sooner sell a merperson for money than understand their culture. He stared at Genji, the first human he had ever met. This human seemed none of those things. He saved his life, when he could have sold Zen’s body and saved the trouble. 

“I do not,” Zen said. “I believe all living things are capable of goodness. You’ve proven yourself to be caring and kind.”

Genji rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I couldn’t leave you to die,” he said. “My friend was the one who reeled you in. It wouldn’t have felt right to toss you back like a...a fish.” Genji winced at his choice of words. To his surprise, Zenyatta chuckled. 

“Hoho, that was a good one,” Zen said with a grin. “Are you fond of jokes?”

“I appreciate a good joke or pun,” Genji said with a nod. 

Zen leaned in conspiratorially. “Why do merfolk live in saltwater?” he asked. 

“Why?” 

“Because pepper makes them sneeze,” Zen said and leaned back in the tub to laugh. He clutched his stomach and chuckled, shoulders shaking with the giggles. Genji grinned and cupped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. He couldn’t stop himself and bent over at the waist with chuckles. 

“Merfolk like merfolk jokes?” Genji asked as he wiped his eye of a tear.

“Oh yes, we are very fond of self aware humor,” Zen said with a nod. He hesitated and looked at Genji out of the corner of his eye. “Genji, when can I return to the sea?”

Genji’s heart seized in his chest. He knew the merperson needed to be back with his own kind in his natural habitat. A bathtub filled with stale saltwater midst be miserable. His face fell in disappointment, but he managed a small smile. This wasn’t the time to be selfish. “I can get Jesse as soon as he gets home and bring you out.” 

“I would like that,” Zen said. He clasped his hands together and rested them on his stomach. He leaned back in the tub and closed his eyes, as though he were sleeping. Genji sat by awkwardly, unsure what to do. Zen opened one eye and looked at him. “You can ask more questions, if you’d like. While we wait for your friend to return.”

“T-tell me about yourself,” Genji stammered. He wanted to know all there was to know about Zenyatta. 

“Myself? Not my species?” Zen asked and cocked his head to the side. 

“Yes, I want to know about you,” Genji said. “I think I ought to know about the man that’s been in my bathtub.” 

“As long as you tell me about yourself in return,” Zen said.

“It’s a deal.” Genji held out his hand for a shake. Zen stared at it in confusion. “Oh...I guess merfolk don’t do handshakes.”

“How does it work?”

“You grab my hand with yours and shake up and down. It’s to signify an agreement or a greeting,” Genji explained. Zen took his hand and shook it up and down, though his hand ghee fingers made it difficult. 

“I am considered an adult among my people, though we age differently than humans,” Zen began. “We can live much, much longer than you.”

“You’re still telling me more about your people than yourself,” Genji said with a laugh. 

Zen wrinkled his nose and chuckled. “I guess you’re right. It’s hard to think about oneself. I’d say I’m a source of inspiration among my people,” he said with a shrug. 

“What do you like to do?” Genji asked. 

“Swim around the reef by my home. It’s gorgeous and teeming with life. There’s nothing more relaxing than being surrounded by fish that are unafraid of you,” Zen said. “The water is warm and soothing. Sometimes I could float there and fall asleep.”

“That sounds nice. Swimming is one of my favorite things to do, as well,” Genji said with a smile. 

A loud rustle and a bang came from outside the door. Zenyatta sat straight up with his gaze focused on where the noise came from. Genji grinned, got up, and opened the door. Jesse stood outside with his hand cupped to his ear. He jumped back when Genji suddenly stood in front of him. Genji quirked his brow and Jesse smiled sheepishly. 

“What are you doing out here?” Genji asked with his hands on his hips. 

“Nothin’ much,” Jesse said and shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked over Genji’s shoulder at Zenyatta in the tub. “I heard two voices in here and got curious. I didn’t wanna interrupt.”

“Well, you could’ve come in,” Genji said with a laugh, but he got naturedly shoved Jesse with his elbow. Jesse stepped into the bathroom and tipped his hat to Zen. 

“You’re lookin’ mighty better than ya were a day or so ago,” Jesse said.

“Thank you for helping Genji take care of me, Jesse,” Zen said. He looked at his webbed hand then up at Jesse. Tentatively he held it out for a shake and looked at Genji while he did so. Genji gave him a thumbs up. 

“Well I’ll be damned,” Jesse said as he shook Zen’s hand. 

“I hate to be a bother,” Zen said as he adjusted in the tub. “Could I be placed back in the ocean, now? My gills feel parched.”

“Of course.” Genji motioned to Jesse. They both got on either side of the tub. Genji gently put his arms under Zen’s armpits and lifted him up out of the tub. Jesse did the same with his tail. They carefully maneuvered him out of the bathroom door. Zen stifled a chuckle. 

“What’s so funny, merman?” Jesse asked.

“I imagine doing this the first time was much more stressful,” Zen remarked.

Genji had to pause for a second to laugh, afraid he’d drop Zen. “You are absolutely correct. I thought I’d drop you on the floor, Jesse was too worried about blood on the carpet.”

They resumed walking and Genji nodded toward the red stain on the carpet. Hanzo hadn’t returned to the beach house since the incident, so Jesse’s fear of his ridicule was diverted for the time being. They shuffled past the sliding door, which Jesse had left open, then out on the deck. The sun was setting, so they were at low risk to attract attention. If they managed to get a bleeding merperson into the house in broad daylight, they could do so at night when nobody was dying. They plodded across the deck and hesitated at the stairs. They had to adjust Zen at an angle to descend them. Their footsteps were muffled by the sand as they approached the water’s edge. High tide was coming in, so they didn’t have to go very far. 

Genji and Jesse waded out into the water and lowered Zen down slowly. Zen flexed his tail and grinned. He broke away from Genji and Jesse and dove into the water. He flipped and splashed in the water, his gills taking in as much water as possible. It was like taking a breath of fresh air. He resurfaced and wrapped one arm around Genji’s shoulder and the other around Jesse’s. He squeezed them both together and laughed. 

“Thank you, friends!” He said, then turned to Genji. “You like swimming, yes? Would you like to swim with me? We can continue our conversation.”

“I’d love to,” Genji said without hesitation. 

“I’ll get goin’ then. It’s a tad too chilly for me,” Jesse said as he swam back to shore. He tossed a wink over his shoulder at Genji. 

Immediately Zen took Genji’s hands in his and spun him around in the water. They both laughed together as they went faster and faster. Zen wrapped his tail around Genji’s legs. It was a new sensation that took Genji’s breath away. His heart thudded in his chest as he stared at Zen. When they stopped spinning, his face was the only thing in focus. Genji panted, out of breath. Zen’s face was flushed red and he smiled at Genji. He didn’t let his hands go. 

“Tell me about yourself,” Zen said. “I want to know you.” 

“Well, I don’t think I’m very interesting,” Genji said with a nervous laugh. “I’m the son of a rich businessman. I don’t really have to work, but I choose to work for my father’s company. My brother owns the beach house that we’re staying at.”

Zen grinned and raised an eyebrow at Genji. “It sounds like you’re telling me more about your family than yourself.”

Genji rolled his eyes and laughed. “I see what you did there,” he said. “I like to hang out with Jesse. I really like to swim and be on the beach. It is my single goal in life to try as much ramen from around the world as I can.”

“Oh?” Zen asked and cocked his head to the side. “How far are you into your goal?”

Genji blushed and averted his eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “Not very far. There’s so many places and so much ramen, but I’ve perfected my own recipe. Would you...would you like to try it sometime?” he asked. He silently cursed himself under his breath. He didn’t know what merfolk ate. 

“I would love that,” Zenyatta said. “It would be much more satisfying than seaweed dishes.”

“What’s your favorite food to eat?” Genji asked. 

“It’s a particular kind of seaweed salad made with crab and a special berry that only grows in our city below the sea,” Zen said. His stomach rumbled and he realized he hadn’t eaten since he had been reeled into shore. “I better go. I haven’t seen my people in days. They’re probably ready to go to war looking for me.” He pulled away from Genji, but Genji caught him by the shoulder.

“When can I see you again?” Genji asked. 

Zen hesitated, unsure if it was a good idea for the human to see him again at all. But...he couldn’t help but be charmed by Genji’s smile and the way he cared more about him as a person rather than his species. “I’ll meet you here tomorrow night?”

“That sounds perfect,” Genji said as he squeezed Zen’s shoulder once. 

They parted ways, Zenyatta flashing the blue bioluminescent marks around his collarbone. Genji felt his heart speed up again at the sight. Zen was gorgeous all the way around. He hoped the merperson meant it when he said they could meet again. 

When he returned to the beach house and his bed, he couldn’t get the merperson out of his mind. Something about the way he carried himself, the way he laughed and smiled, stuck in his thoughts. Genji sighed, sat up in bed, and looked out the window at the darkness of the sea. Just past the shore he thought he could see the light blue glow of bioluminescent marks.

\--

The next night Genji returned to the shore. Jesse had grilled him on what happened in the water after he returned inside. All Genji could do was smile like a dope at the memory. He couldn’t wait for the day to be over so he could see Zenyatta again. The merperson’s brown and white scales flashed in his mind and made his heart flutter. He ran down the beach, sand flying behind him, until he reached the water’s edge. In one hand he balanced a bowl of ramen. In the other, he held chopsticks and a soup spoon.

“Zenyatta!” he called out over the water, hoping it wasn’t drowned out by the wind. 

Zen’s bald head popped out of the water several feet away in the deeper water. Genji waved and beckoned him over. The merperson swam as close as he could without getting stuck in the sand. Genji covered the distance between them, making sure to keep the bowl of ramen above the water. Zen gasped quietly as he realized what Genji was carrying. 

“You brought it?” Zen asked. “This is the ramen?”

“Yea, I had to go to the store to get the supplies, but.” He shrugged and smiled. “It was worth it. I really wanted you to try it.”

Zen took the bowl from Genji and held it above the waves. It was difficult to keep the broth from sloshing out every time a wave came by, but Zen used his strong tail to keep balanced. Genji handed him the utensils and showed him how to use them. Zen explained that most merfolk food was eaten with the hands. Genji placed his hand over Zen’s and demonstrated how to use the chopsticks. They both blushed as they made eye contact and immediately averted their eyes. 

Zen awkwardly spun the noodles around the chopsticks and shoveled them into his mouth. He let out a low moan of pleasure and brought the bowl to his lips to sip the broth. Genji watched him with rapt attention as he picked the bowl clean. 

“Do you like it?” Genji asked.

Zenyatta handed the empty bowl back and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He let out a small burp and laughed. “I think that question answers itself.”

Genji took the dirty dishes back to the shore and sat them down, then slogged back through the water to Zen. The merperson’s cheeks were rosy red and he wore a contented smile. Zenyatta took Genji’s hands into his own again and pulled him close. 

“I never got a chance to thank you sincerely for saving me,” Zen said. “I would have died if not for you. Any other human would have sold me for money or kept me captive, but you didn’t. You’re...different.”

“This may sound stupid,” Genji said, “but I feel drawn to you. I’ve never met anyone like you before, and no, that’s not because you have a fish for a butt.”

Zen put a hand over his mouth and laughed. “You see? Other shore walkers wouldn’t get past the ‘fish butt.’”

The both burst into chuckles. Zen pulled Genji closer until their chests were flush. Genji leaned in and pressed his forehead against Zen’s. Their noses brushed. Zen closed the distance between them, pressing his lips tenderly against Genji’s. Genji gasped into the kiss. He placed his hand on the back of Zenyatta’s neck to pull him deeper into the kiss. When they parted, they were both breathless and panting. Their cheeks flushed a bright red. 

“Can we do this?” Genji asked. He motioned between the two of them. “Can...can this happen?”

“I don’t care,” Zen said and cupped both of Genji’s cheeks in his hands. His tail wrapped around the human’s legs. “I want to try it, even if it’s hard.”

“What is this that you do with your tail?” Genji asked as he ran a hand over Zenyatta’s tail. “The way you wrapped it around my legs?”

“It’s a show of commitment and affection in my culture. If you were a merfolk, you would twine your tail back with mine. Friends and...and lovers do it to show how much they like each other.”

Genji blushed. He adjusted one of his legs to wrap around Zen’s tail to mimic what he described. Zen gasped gently. An indescribable feeling gripped his chest. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. When he looked into Genji’s eyes he felt a rush. It made his heart soar and his stomach do flips. He’d known him for such a short time, but he felt an undeniable attraction to the human. He didn’t want to see him swim back to shore and disappear into his home. He wanted Genji to join him beneath the waves, to curl up on his kelp bed and twine their tails together. He wished for the impossible. 

“Genji,” Zen said, “would you like to see my home?”

“Is that possible?” Genji asked.

“You won’t be able to go to the actual city, but I can show you my home waters. You can swim with me around the reef. It would...it would be very special to me,” he said. 

“You want me to?” Genji’s thoughts spun in circles. He knew how much it must mean to the merperson. He would see something no other human had ever seen. 

“Of course,” Zen said with absolute certainty. “It will be farther out to sea. You will need a boat and diving gear to protect your human body. I understand that you do not adjust to pressure well.”

“Jesse owns a boat. Is it okay if he comes along? He wouldn’t come into the water.”

“I would allow anything if it meant that you got to see my home,” Zen said as he placed another kiss on Genji’s lips. “You are something special, Genji. I don’t know how to describe it.”

“I feel the same. It’s...it’s scary, Zen.” Genji clutched his hand over his heart. “I feel like I’m free falling.”

“Then we’ll free fall together,” Zen said. He thrashed his tail once and sent up a wave over water. It washed over Genji’s upper half. The human laughed, sputtered, and slapped the water. A smaller wave hit Zen in the face. They broke apart from one another and started splashing back and forth. Their laughs spiralled up towards the stars.

\--

Zen’s head bobbed above the water as he watched Genji and Jesse prepare the diving gear on the boat. He couldn’t help but smile as Genji stepped one leg at a time into the skin tight wetsuit. By the time he was fully in suit, he was unrecognizable as the man Zen had grown to like...even love. He felt his skin flush and he looked away from the duo on the boat. It scared him, that feeling of love. He had barely admitted it to himself, let alone Genji. He didn’t want to break the human’s heart. A relationship with a shore walker would be hard, if not impossible. He didn’t want to damn Genji to a life waiting on the shore. 

Zenyatta ducked below the water to cool himself off and free him of his worrisome thoughts. He closed his eyes and let the sound of the ocean overtake him. These were the sounds of home, and he was about to show Genji his world, as Genji had shown him his (as much as he could). He was roused by the sound of Genji landing in the water. He opened his eyes to a flurry of bubbles and limbs as Genji attempted to upright himself from his backwards dive off the boat. Zen chuckled, his worries momentarily forgotten as he watched Genji swim over, as awkward as a newborn merfolk. Zenyatta pointed upwards to the surface and flashed his bioluminescent markings once. Genji nodded, resurfaced, and removed his facemask with Zen right behind.  
Genji’s face was already red where the facemask rested around his eyes, nose and mouth, but he grinned at Zen as they both bobbed in the ocean waves. Zen pressed his chest against Genji’s and wrapped his tail around the human’s legs, ceasing his kicking and allowing them to float calmly in the water.

“What’s the plan?” Genji asked. The red of irritation from the mask helped mask his blush. 

“We’ll swim down to the reef. It’s not very far. It’s the outskirts of my home, but I’m afraid the actual city is far too deep for you,” Zen said. Disappointment flashed across Genji’s face for a split second. Zen placed one hand on Genji’s cheek. Genji closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. “I know. I wish you could see it,” Zen said, not letting his sadness creep into his voice.  
Genji placed his hand over Zen’s and gave a half smile. “Let’s go. I want to see your world.”

Zenyatta unwound his tail from Genji’s legs. The human readjusted his scuba gear, gave a thumbs-up to Jesse, and resubmerged under the water. Zen took Genji’s hand and tugged him down toward the reef. It was visible even from the surface. Vibrant colors flickered in the water around massive coral formations. Dark shapes wavered in the distance like ghosts. As they swam closer, schools of fish around the reef scattered, only to reform a short distance away. Genji swung his head back and forth, trying to commit as much of the sight to memory. He didn’t know when he’d have an opportunity like this again. 

Zen’s eyes stayed on Genji. He’d seen the reef a million times, and he’d see it a million more. This was the first time he’d get to see the man he loved experiencing the sheer beauty of the reef. He smiled at how wide Genji’s eyes were behind the mask. He wished humans didn’t have such sensitive eyes. The scuba mask limited vision, and Genji was incapable of seeing the entirety of the reef at once. Zen shoved the thought to the back of his mind. He was still thankful Genji was able to see it at all. 

They swam deeper, Zen gently guiding Genji to interesting fish or beautiful corals. A moray eel poked its head out from a crevice and stared at them with beady eyes. Zen reached out with one hand and ran it over the top of the eel’s head. The eel allowed it, even closing its eyes as Zen’s hand passed over its body in a pet. Genji’s mouth fell open at the sight. Zen grinned motioned for Genji to try. He hesitated, unsure how the eel would react. When he saw Zenyatta’s eager grin, all of his worries melted away. He replaced Zen’s hand with his own, stroking down the body of the eel. He didn’t know how the eel felt due to his gloves, but it looked like the eel enjoyed the attention.

With a tug to his arm, Zen lead Genji away again. Genji have the eel one last pet before following the merperson. He wondered where the other merfolk were and decided to ask Zen about it later. Zen stopped at a steep dropoff, and Genji had to stifle an intense fear that welled in his stomach. He looked over the cliffside only to be met with a spiralling darkness. Zen watched him reel backwards and his brow knit in concern. Zen wrapped his arm around Genji’s waist and squeeze in reassurance. Genji relaxed a little, but still kept his distance from the edge.

Zenyatta pointed off into the distance, deep down in the darkness. Among the inky black there was a tiny pinpoint of light. It glowed a gentle blue and must have been deeper than any human traveled before. Zen flashed his bioluminescent marks. They glowed a similar color. He pointed again at the light in the darkness, then place a hand over his heart. To Genji, the meaning was obvious.

Home.

Genji wanted to lean in and kiss Zen, but was stopped by the bulky rebreather in his mouth. Instead, he pulled the merperson into a hug, as best as he could manage in full dive gear. They held each other above the spiralling abyss in silence. Genji noticed a movement over Zen’s shoulder. A gigantic form was swimming at them at predatory speed. It took Genji a moment to register the hulking form of a shark. It beamed straight for Zen’s back, mouth open and ready to devour. Genji didn’t hesitate. In a moment, he spun Zen around, exchanging their places. The shark’s teeth made contact with the meat of his shoulder, easily slicing through his wetsuit. The pain was indescribable.

Genji’s vision blurred. Everything seemed to fade to the background. All there was was the pain. It radiated from his shoulder to the tips of his toes. He swore he heard Zenyatta scream, but he knew that wasn’t possible. Darkness encroached on his thoughts. Time seemed to slow down as he registered the dark scarlet curling around him in the water. The last thing he saw before slipping into unconsciousness was Zenyatta, his bioluminescent markings flared a blue as bright as the sun, slamming the shark with his tail. 

-

Zen tried to control his panic. He had been too preoccupied with Genji’s hug to sense the shark approaching. He should have known when none of his people were around the reef. Merfolk were particularly tasty to sharks. Zen learned firsthand what lengths a shark would go to just for a taste when a tiger shark chased him close to shore, just to tear a chunk out of his shoulder. He’d been delirious from loss of blood and unable to notice Jesse’s hook in the water. He focused on the thought of Genji’s infinite kindness as he watched the man float toward the abyss.

The shark honed in on Zen once more. Zen scraped his thoughts for all of the defensive training he learned as a child. He swung his tail around as hard as he could manage. Bubbles flew up in its wake as it made contact with the shark’s face. Zen was acutely aware of Genji’s limp form as it floated farther and farther into the depths. A rage he had never experienced before welled up inside him and he readied his tail once more, hitting the shark again before it could recover. The shark relented, its pace sluggish as it turned to swim away. A trickle of blood furled from its gills and left behind a scarlet trail.

The merperson thrashed his tail once to propel him forward to the abyss. Genji was still within visible range, just below the lip of the cliff. Zen gathered him into his arms and realized his rebreather had slipped free. His chest tightened at the sight of Genji’s pale face. He looked to the water above, to the familiar shine of the sun above. He hesitated, worried that if he ascended too fast with Genji in his arms that it would do something terrible to the human’s body. He took one look at the ruin of Genji’s arm before propelling himself like a torpedo towards the surface.  
Jesse lounged on the side of the boat, his hat pulled down over his eyes. Zenyatta burst from the water with a splash and Jesse almost fell into the water at the sight. Zen held Genji’s limp body above the waves. All he was able to say was a mournful wail. Jesse stared open mouthed at the sight of his best friend in the arms of the merperson. Zenyatta was drenched in Genji’s blood, his eyes wide and fearful. 

“What did you do?” Jesse shouted as he leaned down and took Genji’s body into his arms. Immediately, his hands were slick with blood. He stifled a sob at the sight, averting his eyes to glare at Zen. 

“A shark,” Zen gasped. He pressed his hands against the side of the boat and stared up at Jesse. “Please, we have to get him to a hospital.”

“We?” Jesse spat. He laid Genji down on the floor of the boat gently, then went to the controls. “You aren’t going anywhere. You were supposed to protect him.”

“Please, Jesse,” Zen said. It felt like his chest was going to collapse at any moment. He wasn’t sure if he could even continue to swim with the weight of his grief. “He saved my life.”

“When are you going to save his?” Jesse shouted as he turned on the boat’s engine. Zen reeled away from the vessel as it revved to life. Jesse glared down at him before speeding away.  
Zenyatta swam after the boat, following the wave of waves and the scent of blood, but Jesse was too fast. He was too fatigued to keep up, even underwater with the current. He floated in the wake of the vessel and watched it disappear over the horizon.

He wasn’t sure if he’d ever see Genji again. 

\--

Days seemed to pass slower. 

Zenyatta waited by the shore of the beach house, taking his chances with being seen by humans. He was sure some of them would be suspicious of a swimmer that never came out of the water, but he had to know how Genji was doing. For several days, he saw neither Jesse or Genji. He tried to convince himself it was because Jesse was staying in the hospital with Genji. He needed to believe it. Several times, he watched Genji’s brother Hanzo enter and exit the house in a hurry. He wanted to call out to him, to ask him about what was going on, but as far as Zen knew, Hanzo didn’t know of the merfolk.

He didn’t sleep, he didn’t eat, and he only went under the water when he felt the skin on his back start to burn and peel in the sun. His hands rans circuits around the scar tissue of his bite wound. The small divots in his flesh reminded him of Genji’s overflowing kindness. The human dropped everything to save him. Zen wanted to return the favor, but he couldn’t He couldn’t grow legs and walk on the land. He’d never be able to be there for Genji like Genji was for him. He wanted to carve out the beach with his bare hands, to rip away the sand so the ocean could move farther inland so he could just be closer to Genji, if only for a moment. 

On the sixth day, Jesse returned to the beach house. He dragged his feet and his hair was a wreck. Even from his distance at low tide, Zen could see that Jesse hadn’t slept. He waved his arms to catch Jesse’s attention. Jesse looked out to the sea and paused. Zen locked eyes with the man and Jesse turned his back and entered the house. Zen’s shoulders slumped. He didn’t know why he assumed Jesse would tell him anything. He made it loud and clear that he thought what happened was Zen’s fault. It felt like his fault and he would spend the rest of his life trying to right his wrongs, but he loved Genji. He never wanted the human to lay down his life. 

Zen turned his back to the beach house and stared at over the water. He felt trapped, even though he had thousands of miles of open water to escape to. Tears trickled down his face and he closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, holding himself. His back shook with the first sob.

“Hey.”

Zen turned around. Jesse stood at the edge of the water with his arms crossed. Up close, it was even more obvious that he’d been through hell. The bags under his eyes were dark and purple. His beard was untrimmed and his hair hung heavy on his forehead. He stared down at Zen and sighed, pressing the heel of his palm over one eye.

“Jesse,” Zen said in one breath. “How is he?”

“I ought to not tell ya,” Jesse said, “but Hanzo convinced me that I was hard on you.”

“I love him, Jesse,” Zen said.

Jesse sighed again and sat down in the water. The waves rolled in and splashed against his stomach. The sand beneath him shifted, sinking him deeper into the water. He watched Zen bob in the current. He ran a hand through his hair. “I know ya do,” Jesse said. “He’s as good as he can be. It was touch an’ go for a couple a’ days.” He rubbed the back of his neck and averted his eyes. “You ain’t gonna like what I have to say.”

Zen thrashed his tail and sent up a splash of water. “Tell me. I must know. If it involves Genji. I have to know.”

“He lost his arm, Zenyatta. From the shoulder down,” Jesse said. 

—

Genji woke up to the artificial glow of hospital lights. Immediately, he knew something was wrong. He felt...lighter, like something was missing. His mind felt like it was wrapped in three layers of cotton. His reactions were sluggish and it took several minutes to understand where he was. He knew someone was in the room with him. He knew there was an incessant beeping off to his left. What he didn’t know was how he got there. 

“Genji. You’re awake,” a voice said off to his right. It was familiar. If he could only place it…

A shadow loomed over him and suddenly there was a face just over his. Hanzo stared at him intently. Genji blinked and it seemed to take forever. When he opened his eyes Hanzo was still there. Genji broke out into a smile. “Who died?” he asked. “You never sound that concerned.”

Hanzo grunted, stood back, and crossed his arms. Genji grinned goofily up at his brother. Everything felt slow and hilarious. He tried to heft himself into a sitting position, but nothing happened. He felt his arm move, but didn’t feel his palm press into the bed to lift himself. His brow knit in confusion. He looked down at his arm, then to Hanzo. Hanzo watched him with an expression Genji couldn’t understand. Slowly, the gears of his mind clicked into place. 

Where his arm used to be, there was empty space. A thick white bandage wrapped around his shoulder. For a split second, he didn’t breathe. He simply stared at the vacancy with confusion.  
A flash of jagged teeth tore through his mind. 

Genji squinted his eyes shut against a sudden splitting headache as he remembered. The wisps of blood in the water. The hulking shark slicing through the water. Zenyatta as he beat the shark away. How the light of the sun on the surface slowly faded to black. 

He looked at Hanzo with wide eyes. 

“I think you have some explaining to do, little brother,” Hanzo said. 

“I’d rather not,” Genji said and chuckled nervously. Despite the panic welling in his stomach, he was overcome with the need to laugh. He ran his remaining hand through his hair. Tears welled at the corner of his eyes. 

Hanzo’ gaze softened and he placed a hand on Genji’s shoulder. He squeezed it once and sighed. “Keep your secrets,” he said and pulled away.  
Genji caught his brother’s hand. He looked up at Hanzo and took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you,” he said. “I’ll tell you everything.”

—

Genji returned home after a check-up with the doctor and an explanation of his situation. The shark’s teeth had mangled the nerves and tendons in his arm. The doctors tried to salvage what they could, but the combination of the cold temperatures of the sea, the time it took to arrive at the hospital, and the loss of blood, it was impossible. Genji sat in the car on the way to the beach house and stared out the window. He pressed his forehead to the cool glass and watched the ocean go by. All he could think about was Zenyatta. He didn’t know if the merperson was okay. Jesse had returned to the beach house before Genji woke up and hadn’t been back since, presumably catching up on sleep. Genji’s mind turned in circles, going over the events beneath the sea on repeat. 

A thought occurred to him. 

He’d never be able to swim again. 

He closed his eyes and turned from the sea. Even if Zenyatta was alive, he didn’t know if he could stand to see him knowing they’d never be able to swim side-by-side again. He’d never be able to dive down and see Zen’s world. Genji clenched his teeth and took a deep breath. He couldn’t run from the truth, even if he tried. They needed to talk about it; what they were, what would happen. It tied his stomach in knots just thinking about it. 

Hanzo looked at his brother in the rear view mirror. Jesse had told him everything, of course, but he needed to hear it from his brother. Hanzo had never met Zenyatta, but he could tell his brother cared deeply for the merperson. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel then relaxed again. He knew it wasn’t Zenyatta’s fault the shark attacked, but it took a lot of convincing to make Jesse believe it, too. Hanzo shook his head. Jesse was always stubborn. His eyes flicked back to Genji as they pulled into the driveway. Genji wouldn’t look back out to sea, but Hanzo noticed the dark shape of Zenyatta floating at the shore.

“He’s waiting for you,” Hanzo said. 

Genji tried not to react, but he couldn’t help obeying his instincts. He turned and looked out the window to the rolling waves. Zenyatta bobbed and swayed with the tide as he stood his vigil watching the house, the only thing signaling his position was his luminescent marks. Genji threw open the door and ran down the deck. His feet thumped on the wood stairs that led to the sandy beach. He was slowed by the sand, which gave away under his feet, and he had to steady himself to keep from tumbling the rest of the way to the water’s edge. He stopped just as a wave broke against the shore and pushed up to his toes, overtaking his feet up to his ankles before retreating back to the sea. Zen swam closer, not caring who saw them. He pushed himself as far as he could onto the sandbar without getting beached. His elbows leaned on the biting sand and he reached out for Genji. 

“You’re okay,” he said breathlessly. 

“ _You’re_ okay,” Genji said and fell to his knees in front of the merperson. 

Zenyatta flung his arms around Genji’s neck and hugged him tightly. Genji wrapped his arm around Zen’s waist. He pressed his cheek against Zen’s and buried his nose in the side of his neck. They held each other for a long moment before Genji slowly pulled away. Their noses touched as they stared into each other’s eyes. Genji seized that urge he felt under the sea, the rebreather the only thing stopping him then. He leaned forward and captured Zen’s mouth in his own. Zen pulled Genji as close as possible, his hands on his waist. Genji closed his eyes and sighed into the kiss. Zen’s lips tasted of saltwater, but sweeter. Like saltwater taffy. Genji smiled against his lips and pulled away.

“I’ve been wanting to do that,” Genji said.

“I’m glad you did,” Zen said as he ran a hand over Genji’s cheek. 

“Zenyatta, how are we going to do this?” Genji asked, taking the plunge. “I can’t swim.”

Zen’s blue markings illuminated their faces with a soft glow. Liquid ran down his face and it was impossible to tell if it was sea water or tears. Zen averted his eyes and sighed. “I don’t know,” he said and looked back in Genji’s eyes. He said nothing else, but they both knew what it meant. They held each other in the water, bobbing in the waves. 

Zenyatta froze and pulled away. He hesitated for a moment. Genji cocked his head to the side in question. Zenyatta took his hand in his own and squeezed as he opened his mouth. He paused, took a deep breath, then started to speak again. 

“I have one last place to show you,” Zen said. 

Genji’s eyes looked to his missing arm and back, his face distressed. Zen shook his head.

“It’s not somewhere you need to swim to get to. I’ll give you the directions, if you just meet me there tomorrow. Please,” Zen said. 

“I’d do anything for you,” Genji said. He leaned forward and kissed Zen again, stopping the merperson’s worries in their tracks. 

—

The next morning, Genji followed Zenyatta's directions. It was a fair distance away, but he opted to walk anyways. He needed to be alone and he didn’t want to rely on Jesse or Hanzo to drive him. He walked along the water’s edge, the waves lapping at his shoes. The sand underfoot made his legs sore and the sun above baked his skin. He kept Zenyatta in his mind as he walked. The way the sun kissed his skin, how his back fin caught the light, his dazzling smile. He knew this was goodbye, but he didn’t want to admit it. He would never meet someone as amazing as Zenyatta again. 

The sand started to give way to rocky terrain. Genji stepped over larger rocks and tried not to twist his ankle on pebbles. The beach swung around in a curve and on the other side was a beautiful cove. A cliff overhung the beach of white sand, casting a large shadow out over the water. The water came up farther inland than anywhere else, creating the illusion of a pool. The water was crystal clear. Genji could see down to the bottom of the pool where sea life teemed around colorful plants. A large figure moved through the water and Genji couldn’t help but grin when he realized it was Zen. The fish and other creatures didn’t seem to be afraid of him, they moved around his body, occasionally brushing against his body. Zen surfaced above the water and smiled up at Genji. A starfish stuck to his shoulder and he gently removed it and released it back into the pool. 

“You came,” Zen said. 

“Of course,” Genji said. “What is this place?”

“This pool is sacred to my people,” Zen said. He reached into the water and a red octopus crawled into his hand. He brought it out of the water and it curled its tentacles around his fingers. “It’s a holy place. You can only find it if you know exactly where to look. It’s how we keep shore walkers away.” 

Genji stared at the water in awe. He started to step into the pool, but Zenyatta stopped him before his foot could reach the water. 

“Before you come into the water with me, I need to tell you something,” Zen said. “This pool has many properties. It is capable of many things. One of those things is…” he hesitated a moment before powering on, “grant shore walkers the ability to turn into merfolk.” 

Genji gasped and his eyes widened.

“The change isn’t permanent. It’s said to be a curse. You will always have to choose between living in the sea or on the land. It’s a punishment for shore walkers who encroach on our lands. We call them the Intertidal,” Zen explained. “You will have the body of a merfolk for as long as you’re in the water.”

“How?” Genji said in one breath. 

“All you have to do is submerge yourself in the pool,” Zen said. 

Genji stepped one foot into the pool, then another. He stepped farther and farther out into the water until he was chest deep. Zenyatta came to his side and wrapped an arm around his waist. Genji allowed himself to float on his back with the aid of Zen. He closed his eyes. His body felt funny. It was a tingling sensation, like he was shocked by a wire. It radiates from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was a foreign feeling. He heard Zenyatta gasp.

He opened his eyes. 

In place of his legs there was a neon green tail tipped with yellow. It was a surreal feeling, like having one, muscular, powerful leg. Zenyatta let go of his waist and Genji floated on his own. He was wobbly at first, but Zen was by his side, ready to help him. He let out a laugh that echoed around the cove. He moved his tail back and forth and dipped below the water. He spun in the water, using his fins to maneuver instead of his arms. It was like he had never lost a limb. 

He resurfaced and grinned. Zenyatta stared at him, his smile wide and eyes glossy with tears. He swam over to Genji and wrapped his arms back around his waist. He took his tail and wrapped it around Genji’s. Almost in instinct, Genji twined his tail around Zen’s. It felt right, like a puzzle piece falling into place. He rested his chin on Zen’s shoulder and tucked his face into his neck. His shoulders shook with a sob and Zen squeezed him closer. He took one finger and lifted up Genji’s chin. They stared at each other for a moment, Genji’s cheeks wet with tears and saltwater, before Zen leaned in and kissed Genji softly. 

“I love you,” Zen whispered against his lips. 

“I love you, too.”


End file.
